Carton



Aug. 16, 1-949. J. w. cox 2,479,213

' CARTON Filed Jan. 8, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet l J QJ a a rcu L IN V EN TOK Aug. 16, 1949.

CARTON Filed Jan. 8, 1945 I F B- B J. W. COX

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

Patented Aug. l6,il949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE f. 2,419.21: a I

. v CARTON John W. Cox, Chicago, Ill., asaignor, by mesne 1 assignments, to Shellmar Products Corporation,

Chicago, III., a corporation of Delaware Application January 8, 1945, Serial No. 571,718

9 Claims.

This is a continuation in part of my copending application Serial No. 462,110, filed October 15,

' 1942 for Carton. now abandoned.

the provision of such a carton which may be made of a unitary or integral blank of paper board or the like having formed therein not only the outer wall portions of'the carton but also a plurality of transverse partition members for subdividing it into cells,-the parts being provided with means for guiding them into the proper relationship in the setting-up of the carton and being so formed and related that they cooperate with one another to hold the carton in its completely set-up condition, without the use of adhesive or any other kind of fastening extraneous of the paper sboard blank itself. One of the ultimate purposes is the reduction in cost of manufacture by providing a carton which can be completely fabricated in the flat by a single die press operation, and which can be quickly and accurately set up by the user and will retain its set-up condition with certainty without use of adhesive or any extraneous fastening means.

-A cellular carton which has met with considerable approval in the industry is that shown in Troyk U. S. Reissue Patent No. 18,922, of which particular construction there have been numerous modifications. Briefly, such a carton is formed by die-cutting and scoring a blank of suitable paper'stock to provide an interlocking cover, a rear wall, a bottom and a longitudinal partition forming section, a frontwall, a cross partition section, and an att'achingstrip. The :blank is folded to bring these several elements into proper relationship with each other and the attaching strip is glued or otherwise attached to the rear wall of the blank, the partially folded blank being flattened for shipment in knockdown condition.

These folding and gluing operations involve very considerable expense over and above those required for the printing and cutting of the blank, and, moreover, the glue connections are unreliable under some climatic conditions which tend to soften the adhesive so that the glue joints come undone when it is attempted to set up the carton from its flat folded form, or after it is set up and filled with eggs. ,Moreover, it has been found that in the glued type carton, even when the adhesive withstands softening, the material of the carton often tears immediately at one side of the glued joint. This is so particularly when a blank of relatively cheap grade board is used. Therefore there exists the possibility of failure of a glued carton from two causes, i. e., failure of the adhesive itself or failure of the material of the blank immediately adjacent the glue. Heretofore, however, it has not been found possible to eliminate necessity for such fastening by glue or other extraneous means in the fabrication of a cellular carton formed comple ely from a unitary or integral blank, and in instances where attempts have been made to provide commercial cellular cartons which are formed of a plurality of separate pieces, it has been found that even greater cost is involved in the assembling of the separate pieces, and that the cartons when set up are likely to be deficient in stability when made of light material.

These and other disadvantages are overcome by means of the present invention, which provides a one-piece cellular type of carton which can be printed, cut, scored and folded into erected and self-sustaining form without the use of glue, wherein it is retained by means of integral hook; ing elements whose positioning is accurately and automatically established and is definitely controlled in the folding of the parts to set-up relationship.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a one-piece cellular carton made of a unitary blank, which comprises bottom and front and rear wall sections, a partition section containing a plurality of cross partitions which is integrally hinged to the front wall section and has interlocking relation with the rear wall section, and a cover or top section constituting an integral continuation of said rear wall section and adapted for releasable engagement with the front wall section; and wherein the aforementioned rear wall section has novel interlocking engagement with hooks on the cross partitions, whereby the carton is retained in erecteclform. More specifically, it is an object of the present invention to provide a carton that can be formed from a blank of material which has been cut and scored to provide a bottom, front and rear walls, a cover, a longitudinal partition, and a partitioncarrying member including a series of transverse partitions, wherein the transverse partition memher is hingedly connected at one side to the front wall and at its other end terminates in a bendable connecting and positioning strip of material,

said partitions being provided with integral attaching or hooking members that are excised from the material of said strip and adapted to interlock with the rear wall and bottom to hold the entire construction in erected or set-up form.

Yet another object is to provide an improved structure for effecting the above described interlocked relationship of a partition section which is divided to provide a plurality of partition elements with the rear wall of the carton, wherein locking elements integral with the partition section and normally coplanar therewith in the knock-down condition of the carton are swung or shifted at a substantial angle to the partition section and are engaged with the rear wall in a novel manner to retain the carton in erected position.

How these and other objects are obtained will be evident from a consideration of the following description and by reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a die-cut and scored carton blank illustrating one form of the invention and as it is shipped to a user in flat, completely fabricated condition, the scores or folding creases being indicated by dotted double lines;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of a fully set-up and closed carton formed simply by folding in the intended fashion a blank such as that shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view of the rear side of the carton;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary top view of the closed carton;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of a blank which is generally similar to the blank illustrated in Fig, 1 but has somewhat modified features for effecting the interlock of the partition and rear wall sections;

Fig. 6 is an end elevation of a set-up carton formed from the blank illustrated in Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view showing the rear side of the carton of Fig. 6; and

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary top view of said carton.

In these drawings I have illustrated an embodiment of the present invention in a carton of the type disclosed in Troyk Reissue Patent No, 18,922, but it will become apparent as the following disclosure is studied that application of the invention is not limited to that particular form of carton.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawing, there is shown generally at 10 a blank of material which has been die-cut and scored after having been suitably printed. In the order named there is shown a cover, locking fiap H which is conjoined along a fold crease a to a cover section l2 which in turn is conjoined with a rear wall section [3 at a-fold crease b. A bottom and longitudinal partition-forming section l4 conjoins the rear wall section l3 along a fold crease c and a front wall section l5 at a fold crease d. Connected to the front Wall section I5 is a cross partition section It comprising a series of collaterally disposed transverse partitions 16a. These cross partitions are integrally connected individually to the front wall section I5 by means of triangular gussets H which are creased at e to permit the partitions to swing to erected positions at approximately 90 from the plane of the sheet.

At their other ends the cross partitions l6a are connected to one another in a series by positioning means comprising gussets l8 and a longitudinally extending strip l9, relative to which they may swing on creases f, such connection having the purpose of retaining those ends of the cross partitions in proper relationship in the flat blank and during the setting-up operation. The gussets I! may be swung to angular relationship relative to the front wall section l5 on hinge creases g, and gussets l8 may be swung angularly from strip IS on aligned creases h. End portions of the cross partitions l6a extend past the aligned creases h and are formed as end attaching hooks 20, and at their bottom portions the partition members are formed with bottom attaching hooks 24 at opposite sides of a medial notch.

The rear wall section I3 is provided with attaching slots 2|, preferably having juxtaposed bracing flaps 22 partially freed from the sheet to render them more easily flexible. The slots 2| extend transversely in section I3 and are located so as to register with ends of the respective cross partitions when the latter are in erected positions and at approximately right angles to the surface of section l3.

In the bottom and longitudinal partition-forming section M are provided transversely extending openings 23 adapted when the cross partitions are erected to receive their bottom hooks 24. Intersecting the medial line of the bottom and longitudinal partition section I4 is a series of openings 25 adapted to receive the mid portions of the transverse partitions. A medial series of aligned creases k and cut scores m establish a medial fold line extending longitudinally of the bottom section, and portions of areas at opposite sides thereof are softened by creases and scores n to aid in their flexing.

The improved carton formed as above described has the advantage that it may be fabricated complete in the form shown in Fig. 1 by a single press operation and may be shipped to the user in that fiat form and set up by him for use by folding it properly and without requiring any additional fastening means. Assuming that the carton is constructed of paper board which is 0.023 inch thickness, it will be seen that one thousand of them will make a stack approximately twenty-three inches high, whereas a like number of cartons of a type which is folded double would make a stack over forty-six inches high, and with each additional fold or ply, the height of the stack would be further increased by approximately twenty-three inches. This capability for compact stacking permits very substantial savings in cost of packing containers for packaging the cartons and likewise important savings in shipping and storage space, trucking and other handling. Due to the fact that this carton may be stacked flat, it has a further advantage over cartons which are fabricated in folded form because in a stackeach flat blank is fully contacted throughout its area on both sides by the similar blanks which are above and below it, so that the blanks in the stack mutually reinforce and protect one another against being'crumpled.

While the above described advantage of compactness and resultant economy in expense of shipping, storage and handling is of distinct importance in the form of the invention herein illustrated, it is to be understood that the features of the invention are not to be considered as limited to a carton of the exact type shown. On the contrary, the broad aspects of the invention primarily concern novel provisions for interlocking a collapsible carton of the general type under consideration in its erected position, with the To set up the carton from its flat blank form.

the cross partition section I6 is first folded, as a unit, to angular relationship with the conjoined wall section It. This is done by swinging it on the hinge creases g, which is made possible by the fact that all of the individual cross partitions lia are definitely connected to one another in series 'by the positioning means here exemplified as gussets l8 and strip l9. Then the individual cross partitions lGa are swung on creases e and I through an angle of approximately 90 from their original coplanar relationship and by such movement, due to the fact that their outer ends are definitely maintained at the proper relative spacing by the positioning connections afforded by the gussets l8 and strip l9 and their inner ends definitely maintained in the proper spaced relationship by connection of gussets I! to wall section [5, the cross partitions are moved with accuracy and certainty to parallel equidistantly spaced relationship perpendicular to their original plane.

. With the cross partitions supported in this relationship, the bottom section I4 is folded across the bottom ends of the partitions, and then the medial portion of thebottom section is partly folded upon itself along the medial line defined by creases k and scorings m and is intruded between the hooks 24 of the partitions and into their medial notches. In so doing, the hooks 24 are caused to pass through the apertures 23 of the bottom section and to engage retentively the interposed portions of the bottom section at the inner ends of said slots. Then the wall section I3 is folded on crease'line c around the ends of the partition members IBa which carry the hooks 20 and those hooks are inserted through slots 2i which are aligned with the respective partitions,

whereupon, when the traction on the section II is released, the end margins of the slots will seat in the crotches of the hooks 20, as shown in Fig. 2. The flexible tongue portions 22 adjacent the attaching slots 2i facilitate the passage of the.

bear resiliently against the opposite faces of the tongues and resist their retraction in the opposite direction. The tension set up in the inwardly bowed portion of bottom section It between the medial fold line Ila and the fold crease c, as seen in Fig. 2, exercises traction on the wall section I! and tends to hold the ends of the attaching slots 2| down in the crotches of the attaching hooks 20. The strip I9 is flexed angularlyfrom the plane of the gussets I8 by the folding of wall section l3, so that it bears against the inner surface of the section and exerts sonie pressure outwardly thereagainst which tends to press the section against the inwardly presented margins of the hooks 20 and thus contribute to the security of the connection. In some instances it may be found desirable to remove this strip or to omit it when the positioning connection between the hooked ends of the cross partitions lGa is formed in another manner.

The setting-up of .the carton in the manner 1 above described leaves it with its top open to permit insertion of the eggs, and it will be observed that even in its open condition the body portion of the carton maintains its erected form with stability. The cross partitions "a form direct connections extending continuously from the wall I! to the wall I! and they retain those walls against swinging either away from each other or toward each other, portions I I aflording stops against which the wall section I! bears. Moreover, the cross partitions retain the bottom section l4 securely in its folded form with the medial portion elevated in the form of a ridge to provide a partition running longitudinally of the carton and cooperating with the cross partitions lie to subdivide the carton into two longitudinal series of cells open at the top. each adapted for reception of an egg. The carton is closed by folding the cover section l2 on fold crease b so that it lies above the cells, and folding the locking fiap ll downwardly on fold crease a and engaging its locking tongues under the respective gussets l'l adjacent the wall panel l8, as illustrated in Fig.2.

Hence, while furnishing a sturdy and effective hooked interlock of the partition section IS with the rear wall, my improved construction at the same time makes available this simple and speedy I method of releasably latching the cover to the hooks 20 in the outward direction, and thereafter front wall. Obvious y, the last named feature is impossible in structures lacking the integrally hinged partition section and gusset-hinged partitions thereon.

To the extent that the positioning strip it functions to support the partitions I60; in deflnite, predetermined spacing, it will be recognized as broadly a portion of the cross partition section It, though bendably conjoined thereto; just as the partitions lia, hooks 20 and gussets I 8, relative to which the partitions Ilia and hooks 20 are connected and swimg, are components of the strip.

Once the locking hooks 20 are interlockingly engaged with the rear wall of the carton, the strip I! has diminished importance; in fact. it is thereafter significant in the carton structure simply as the area of stock either on or immediately and integrally appended to the cross partition section l8, from which area the locking hooks 20 of said section are excised. This feature of providing locking hooks connected to and bendable relative to one portion of a cross partition section and cut from another portion thereof, being received in 5 bent condition in a carton wall, is novel and important in the present construction. I therefore desire it to be broadly construed, within the scope of the attached claims.

It will be observed that any force exerted transversely and normal to the front and rear walls of the carton, tending to dislodge the locking hooks- 20 from the rear wall, is borne in tension by said hooks and the cross section of the partition members immediately adjacent the hooks. The stress is distributed over the full section of the partition members, adjoining the hooks. As distinguished from this relationship, the usual glued carton receives such transverse forces as stresses parallel to the plane of the glue, so directed as to tend to split or shred the stock on the carton in the rear wall or on the attaching flap, i. e., at one side or the other of the glue. In the usual case where the stock is an inexpensive grade, it will split readily, particularly at the ends of the rear ,wall. I have found that the positive lock at a mulplicity of points between locking elements integral with the cross partition member, such as I have described, and the rear wall section withstands separation at the point of the interlock more effectively than the glued interconnection referred to.

The method by which the carton is erected may be carried out by machinery, or by hand, or by combined hand and machine operation. Engagement of the cross partition hooks with the rear wall slots is effected readily due to maintenance of the alignment of the cross partitions with the slots in the bottom section and wall section l3 and the freedom with which the parts may be moved from their positions in the flat blank to their angular positions in the step-up carton.

The shapes of the hooks 20 and 24 and slots 2| and 23 may be varied. In the embodiment shown, the tongue members 22 are pressed outwardly slightly upon entrance of the hooks 29 in slots 2!, and when the hooks are in place the tongues form side braces for them and lend to their rigidity.

In Figs. 5 through 8 I have illustrated a somewhat modified embodiment of the interlocking parts whereby the carton is maintained in erected position. In the main, the structure is similar to that illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive and described above, hence similar reference numerals are employed to designate the common elements. Referring to Fig. 5, it will be observed that the shape of the partition members, designated 26, adjacent the strip i9, is modified so that the outer extremity of the locking hooks runs parallel or nearly parallel to the outer margin of strip l9, extending to a corner 21 from which it is connected by an undercut slit to the body of the partition members. The lockin elements thus take the form of ears 28 of substantial width. I prefer that the locking element be undercut in the manner described; however, if desired, the undercut may be eliminated, with the edge of the locking element connected by a straight bottom edge to the body of the partition member, said edge being defined by a straight slit at a right angle to the strip l9. It will be seen that the locking ear 28 outlined by the above provisions is in erected condition adapted to project along its entire vertical dimension through the slit in the rear wall receiving the same.

Referring to Fig. 5, it will be seen that the character of the locking slit, here designated 29, is altered somewhat as compared to the provisions of Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive. Said slit is substantially shorter than the slit 22 and the wall iii of the carton is provided with a swingable tab 30 which intersects the line of the locking slit 29 at the lower extremity thereof. Tab 30 is defined by appropriate slits intersecting the line of the locking slit 29 for the above purpose and is swingable outwardly of the rear wall as the locking ear 28 is inserted through slit 29 in erecting the carton. This operation of erecting the carton by inserting the locking ears through the slits is performed in the same manner as described above with reference to the embodiment of Figs.

1 to 4 inclusive. When the ear is fully inserted in the slit 29, with the hook-like upper extremity thereof engaged beneath the top of slit 28, the locking tab 30 snaps back into place beneath the ear, i. e., into the space provided by the undercut of the bottom of the ear, in the manner illustrated in Figs. 6, 7 and 8. Thus, in addition to the frictional retaining action exerted on opposite sides of the locking car 28 by the lateral tongue portions 22, the locking tab 30 exerts a positive latchin and sustaining action on the bottom of the ear. This effectively prevents undesired vertical displacement of said ear such as is necessary to remove the car from interlocking relationship. The result is accomplished without requiring any additional manipulation of the parts since the tab 30 swings rearwardly and clears the lower edge of the ear '28 as the latter is being placed in the slit, and then swings back into operative latching position.

Other than the just described feature of more positive interlock of the parts, the embodiment of Figs. 5 to 8 inclusive is in all respects similar in operation and advantages to the embodiment first described. In both embodiments, and in other structures incorporating the invention which will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art, the carton is defined from a single, onepiece blank stamped out in a single operation and quickly erectable to set-up form. In the last named condition the carton is held together solely by parts which are integral with and excised from the cross partition member, and without the use of glue or other securing means; likewise without the need for instrumentalities for the application of glue or other securing means. Stresses actin in a direction to tend to burst the carton are carried directly by the cross partition member in tension in a manner to best utilize the strength of the material, accordingly in a manner to render the finished carton most strongly resistant to failure under all conditions, particularly in moist atmospheres.

As above indicated, the invention has been described with particular reference to a certain type of egg carton, but it will be readily understood that it may be employed with many other one-piece cartons now well known to the trade, and it is also to be understood that the various changes which may be made in the structure without departing from the scope of the invention are intended to be included in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A knock-down cellular carton comprising a unitary blank 'of sheet material formed with parallel fold creases to provide a flexible bottom section and front and back wall sections having their lower margins hinged to opposite margins thereof and a cross-partition section hinged to the top margin of the front wall section, said crosspartition section being subdivided into a plurality of transversely extending cross partition members each flexibly connected at one end to the front wall section and having an attaching hook at its other end, positioning means bendably connected to a margin of the cross partition section adjacent said hooks and connecting the cross partition members to one another in definitely spaced relationship at their hook-bearing ends, said hooks being disposed at least in part externally of said last named margin, the back wall section being provided with attaching slots spaced to accord with the spacing of said attaching hooks, said wall sections being foldable to erected position where they face each other from opposite margins of the bottom section, the cross-partition section being foldable as a unit relative to the front wall section to a position where it faces the bottom section and the cross partition members being foldable individually, while their space relationship is controlled by said positioning means, to approximately perpendicular relationship with the bottom and wall sections and with said attaching hooks in position for insertion through said attaching slots, said attaching hooks being interlockable with the back wall section through said attaching slots, whereby the cross partition members form transverse connections holdin the wall sections 9 in erected positions and subdividing the space between them and above the bottom section into a plurality of compartments.

2. A knock-down cellular carton comprising a unitary flat blank of sheet material marked off by parallel fold creases to provide a flexible bottom section, front and back wall sections conjoined to opposite margins thereof, a cross partition section conjoined to the front wall section and subdivided into a plurality of transversely extending across partition members each individually connected at one end to the front wall section and at its other end to a spacing strip, the cross partition members bein provided with attaching hooks at their last mentioned ends which are cut from the material of said strip, and being hinged on lines at right angles to said fold creases .on which they are foldable individually to positions perpendicular to the original plane of the blank, and the back wall being provided with slots in which said attaching hooks areretentively engageable'when the cross partition members are in said perpendicular positions and the front and back wall sections are in erected positions facing each other.

3. A carton forming blank, comprising a unitary sheet cut and scored to form a bottom, a front wall, a. cross partition section integrally hinged to said front wall, a terminal section in- 'tegrally hinged to said cross partition section opposite said front wall, hooks connected to one of said sections and struck from the material of the other section, said hooks extendin into said other section when the blank is in planar position and being rotatable with the section to which they are connected into an interlocking position independently of said other section, and a rear wall having interlocking cuts positioned to receive said hooks in thela'st named position thereof.

4. A cellular carton, comprising a unitary blank cut, scored, and folded to form a rear wall having hook receiving cuts, a bottom, a front wall, a cross partition section integrally hinged to said front wall, a terminal section integrally hinged to said cross partition section opposite said front wall and being folded over in adjacent position with respect to the inside of saidrear wall, and hooks connected to one of said sections and struck from the material of the other of said sections, said hooks being rotated with said one section and being secured on the outside of said rear wall through said cuts,

5. A cellular carton, comprising a unitary blank cut, scored, and folded to form a rear wall having hook receiving cuts, a bottom, a front wall, a cross partition section integrally hinged to said front wall, a terminal section integrally hinged to said cross partition section opposite said front wall and being folded-over in adjacent relation with respect to the inside of the rear wall, hooks connected to said cross partition section and struck from the material of said terminal section, said hooks extending into said terminal section when said blank is in collapsed planar position and being interlocked with said rear wall through said cuts when the carton is inerect condition.

-6. A cellular carton of the type described, constructed from a single sheet of bendable fibrous material and adapted to be set up from a relatively flat knock-down position to an operative erected position, said carton being maintained in said last named position without the use of adhesive or securing means other than are inte ral with and a part of said sheet, comprising a bottom section having front and rear walls integrally conjoined to opposite side margins thereof, a cross partition section integrally conjoined to said front wall section and extending between said front and rear walls to maintain said walls in erected position, said partition section being subdivided to provide swingable partition members, andto provide locking elements adjacent the rear wall side thereof which normally lie substantially coplanar with said partition section in the knock-down position thereof and which are swingable to erected positions at a substantial angle to the knock-down position of the partition section, and means connected to said cross partition section adjacent said locking elements to maintain said elements in predetermined spaced relation, said rear wall having cuts spaced above the lower margin thereof individually receiving said elements to hold the carton in erected position, said last named means being integrally connected to said cross partition section on the side thereof adjacent said locking elements.

7. In a cellular carton of the type described having integrally and bendably connected front and rear wall and bottom sections capable of erection from relatively fiat knock-down position to erected position, a transverse partition carrying section integrally connected to said front wall section and provided with integral locking elements adjacent its opposite margin, said elements being shiftable from a, knock-down position substantially coplanar with the partition section to final locking position at a substantial angle to said partition carrying section, means connected to said cross partition section adjacent said locking elements to maintain said elements in'predetermined spaced relation, said rear wall section being provided with spaced slits spaced above the bottom margin thereof and receiving the elements in locking relation to the rear wall section, said rear wall section having swingable tabs intersecting and bridging 'said slits which are adapted to be deflected outwardly of said section upon insertion of the locking elements in said slits and to thereafter assume position adjacent an edge 'of the element to prevent reverse retraction thereof from the slit.

8.. A unitary carton blank cut and scored to define panels which are foldable to form an up-- right rear wall having cuts therein for the reception of locking elements, an upright front wall, a bottom connecting said walls, a transverse partition-forming panel connected to the front wall panel in spaced relation to the bottom and foldable at an angle to the front wall panel to a substantially horizontal position in the erected condition of the blank, said transverse panel comprising a plurality of transverse partitions swingable downwardly to spaced upright positions in said erected condition to divide the space between the walls into a plurality of arti- .cle receiving cells, and locking elements formed in the blank adjacent but internally of a margin of said blank remote from the front and rear wall panels, said elements being insertable through the cuts in the rear wall panel to thereby position the partitions and locking elements adjacent the rear wall panel in said erected condition of the blank.

9. A unitary carton blank cut and scored to define panels which are foldable to form an upright rear wall having cuts therein for the reception of locking elements, an upright front wall.

11 a bottom connecting said walls, a transverse partition-forming panel connected to the front wall panel in spaced relation to the bottom and foldable at an angle to the front wall panel to a substantially horizontal position in the erected condition of the blank, said transverse panel comprising a. plurality of transverse partitions swingable to spaced upright positions in said erected condition to divide the space between the walls into a plurality of article receiving cells, and locking elements formed in the blank in connected relation to said partitions adjacent but internally of one side thereof and remote from the front and rear wall panels, said blank having means adjacent said elements positioning said partitions in spaced relation longitudinally of the blank in erected condition, said elements being insertable through the cuts in the rear wall panel, thereby disposing said positioning means adjacent the rear wall panel in the erected condition of the blank.

JOHN W. COX.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Moore Aug. 10, 

